We’ve summarised the top stories of the last week into an easily digestible briefing, so that you can stay up to date on what’s happening around the world. You can subscribe to receive the briefing in your inbox each week.

Business & Economics

1. In November, US employers added 210,000 jobs – a disappointing figure compared to forecasts of 550,000 jobs. It is also less than half the average monthly increases of 555,000 this year. Despite this discouraging result, unemployment has fallen to 4.2%, while wages have risen by 4.8%.

2. ExxonMobil has declared new carbon emission goals. The US Energy company said it aimed to reduce company-wide greenhouse gas intensity by 20-30 per cent by 2030 after meeting a previous 2025 target earlier this year. Andrew Logan, senior director for oil and gas at Ceres, which co-ordinates investor action on climate change, said the new emissions targets were “grossly inadequate”.
   
   
3. Nissan seeks to dominate the electric vehicle market as it announces a $17.7bn vehicle electrification plan called the Nissan Ambition 2030 whilst setting itself an electric vehicle sales target of 75 per cent of its European sales by 2026 and 40 per cent of its US sales by 2030.

4. Meta (previously known as Facebook) executive, David Marcus, who joined the company seven years ago, announced he was leaving after the social media network suffered setbacks in its attempt to launch cryptocurrency products, including a new digital token called Diem.

5. The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Nvidia’s cash-and-stock acquisition of UK chip design company Arm from Softbank. The deal is valued at $82bn and has already received attention from EU and UK authorities.

6. Jack Dorsey has stepped down from his position as CEO of Twitter. This follows calls to step down following controversy over Twitter’s censorship and content regulation. The next CEO is Parag Agrawal, most recently the Chief Technology Officer. Dorsey has moved on to take a more active role in his payments system firm, Square, which has since been rebranded as Block.

7. Didi Chuxing has announced that it will delist from the New York Stock Exchange and list in Hong Kong instead. The Chinese ride-hailing app’s move is suspected to come in a move to appease the Chinese Communist Party following heavy crackdowns on Big Tech firms by the Chinese government. Observers note that this delisting could herald further financial decoupling between the two superpower states.

Politics

1. In light of the discovery of the new Omicron variant, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid has tightened entry requirements into the UK. Starting Tuesday, all travellers aged 12 and over will be required to take a pre-departure COVID test less than 48 hours before departing for the UK, and Nigeria will be added to the ‘Red List’. The Scottish and Welsh governments have voiced that they will likely follow suit.

2. The Conservatives have won the safe London seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup in a by-election caused by the death of former Conservative MP, James Brokenshire, who died of cancer in October. With a by-election turnout of 34%, the lowest since 2018, the Conservative Party saw a significant drop in their majority from 19,000 to 4,478, with second-place party Labour picking up the majority of these voters.

3. The Brazilian Supreme Court announced it will be investigating President Bolsonaro for claiming that COVID-19 vaccinations may increase the chances of contracting AIDS whilst conducting a social media livestream in October. The court will aim to establish whether the president’s comments are linked to the ‘office of hate’, a group of his supporters who are currently being investigated for fake news. Bolsonaro, who himself has refused to get vaccinated, defended his comments by claiming that he was simply quoting an article in a magazine.

4. Honduras has voted in its first female president, Xiomara Castro, in a historic election that has seen her Liberal Party defeat the National Party. With a lead of over 20 points, Castro will take over President Juan Orlando Hernández who has been accused of corruption and ties to drug smuggling rings. Whilst results are still coming in and the electoral council is yet to formally announce a winner, the National Party issued a concession of defeat last Tuesday.
   
   
5. The US and 21 other allied nations have demanded the Taliban stop targeting and killing former members of Afghan security forces. The statement follows a report by Human Rights Watch, which reported widespread executions and abductions of former government officials. The Taliban has denied these allegations and has claimed that it is willing to allow an independent investigation to examine the accusations.

6. In Myanmar, following weeks of protests, a military truck rammed into anti-military protestors in the city of Yangon, leaving several injured. Protestors were demonstrating against military rule following a February coup that ousted the previous government under Aung San Suu Kyi. It is estimated that since the coup 1,200 protestors have been killed, and countless others imprisoned as the military continues to ruthlessly put down demonstrations and protests.

7. Indian forces accidentally killed several civilians near its border with Myanmar. Targeting separatist militias, the Indian soldiers mistook a bus full of miners returning home from work for rebels and opened fire, resulting in at least 13 deaths and many other injuries. News of this botched ambush soon reached local villages, resulting in civil unrest and further deaths as protesters clashed with police and military forces.
   
   
8. On Tuesday, a 15-year-old student, Ethan Crumbley, carried out the deadliest high school shooting since 2018 in Oxford High School, Michigan. Crumbley has plead not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and terrorism. His parents have been indicted for involuntary manslaughter through their son and were arrested in Detroit after having fled from their home.

Written by Ludlow Morris and Felipe Dreesmann